"Good Soldiers Follow Orders...": A Bad Batch Story

C H A P T E R N I N E

ECHO'S POV

We located the Marauder exceptionally quickly...and the moment Hunter's voice sounded on the comm channel, my heart tightened. This was the first time I've heard from him since I left our barracks on Kamino, thinking I was part of this mission I put in his head. As much as I wanted to question him on why, I wasn't in a position. I was piloting the Genesis pursuing him and the other members of the Bad Batch.

"CT-9901," Lync spoke. "In the name of the Imperial Empire, I order you to surrender your ship and return with us to Kamino."

"Are we under arrest?" Hunter quipped, which Lync did not take lightly. "You are not under arrest unless you continue to resist. Our orders are to bring you back to Kamino for some simple inquisition about your mission. However, continue to resist, and we will be forced to engage."

"I'm not a fan of either of those options, so here's one for you: you are going to let us continue our mission. This is for the Empire. And you're in the way."

Hunter...I gulped as Lync ordered me to speed up. The ship I flew was much bigger than the Bad Batch's, and heaving it forward would make it more difficult to control if something was to go array...But like a good soldier, I followed orders. The nose of the Genesis bumped into the right wing of the Marauder. I knew Tech was piloting the ship, and Wrecker must have been the co-pilot, for I watched Crosshair position himself in the gunner's mount in the rear of the Marauder. They were preparing to fight back... And Fern and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it without blowing our cover. Fern already had her hands full with Katooni. And speaking of the padawan, Lync leaned forward into the comm, strands of his dark hair hung in his face and he growled in a low voice, "If you want a Jedi so bad, I've got one for you."

There was no immediate response, but when Hunter finally chimed in, Lync didn't like the answer. "Sorry, Lt. Lync, but I think we are going to stick with our target. You see, this target is much more valuable than some Jedi."

"Echo," Lync said, straightening himself behind me. "Knock them out of the air. Hiro, do not hold back on the firepower."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Hiro smirked, those brown eyes sparked with murderous excitement.

No... I gritted my teeth.

"Echo, pull back so Hiro can target the engines and hyperdrive."

"With all due respect," I said. "Our orders from Admiral Tarkin were bring them in alive. If we damage their ship too much, they may not survive the crash."

"Admiral Tarkin's orders were also 'kill them only if necessary'." Lync grimaced behind me. I couldn't see him, but I felt his electric-blue eyes boring themselves at the back of my head. "Let's hope at least one of them survives. We only need one out of the scum."

"Sir—"

"Defy my orders again." Lync interrupted. "And you'll find yourself crashing along with them."

Hiro began firing upon the Marauder. Crosshair in the gunner's mount attacked back. I manuevered the Genesis to avoid the quick lasers, swaying side to side through the desert terrain. But just as I thought, the size of the Genesis required strict control on the steering system. It trembled under my strained grip. Hiro had the accuracy of any skilled clone, hitting directly where he intended. Smoke fumed out of the Marauder's hyperdrive...now, without repairs, they would not be able escape Florrum...

"What's happening!?" I heard Fern's voice from behind.

"This doesn't concern you, Fern." Lync sighed impatiently. "Return to your quarters and watch the padawan."

"If you continue this, you'll destroy their ship and them!"

"That is the goal." Lync pushed Fern by her shoulder. "I will not repeat myself. Return, to your quarters."

I glanced behind me just enough to see Fern's anxious gaze...My teeth clenched as her dark eyes begged me to do something to stop Lync's desired outcome. I turned my head back to the front, where I watched out the viewpoint the Bad Batch fighting back. Tech tilted the Marauder's left wing as we all curved around a cliff. After this, it was open field with no where to hide...

We zipped into it with full speed. The Genesis inched closer and closer with the Marauder. I could see the whites in Crosshair's narrow eyes. He managed to hit the fin and belly of the ship. My control switched from rigidness to wonky dribbling in the air. But Hiro had done just as much damage back.

"Hiro!" Lync anxiously shouted to the sharpshooter. "Keep firing! I want them to crumble in the dirt!"

"With pleasure!" Hiro laughed.

"Their hyperdrive has been knocked out and the flat terrain does not end for another three clicks. We have them, sir." Xion affirmed from the smart computer.

"Echo! Remember your orders!" Fern screamed.

"Quiet!" I caught the painful sound of Lync striking Fern in her jaw, followed by her body collapsing to the hard floor.

That's it. My eyes narrowed with determination. My hands clenched the controls. I prepared myself to wrench them up, forcing the Genesis to crash into Florrum and allowing the Bad Batch, my brothers, to escape.

However, I was spared from this when out of nowhere three spacecrafts zipped ahead of us and the Clone Force 99, looped around, and then rained down firepower on the Genesis. I was forced to sharply break and tip the ship on its side to avoid damages on the important systems. Xion and Lync lost their balance and joined Fern on the floor. The invasive ships circled around and began attacking from the rear. I recognized them from the outpost back at Hondo Ohnaka's headquarters...

Hondo's...helping the Bad Batch? Why would he possibly do that? I pondered as I pulled back the ship away the pursue on Hunter and the others. Crosshair had ceased his firing. Hiro was unable to aim with my evasive maneuvering. I had noticed Hondo being stubborn about sharing information, even though it was fact that the Bad Batch had sought him out...Perhaps they had come to an agreement...or possibly something else?

Whatever their motive was, Hondo's men succeeded. Lync finally ordered me to fall back. The moment I did that, tbey reversed back to Hondo's headquarters and the Bad Batch got away, speeding off to where I could never catch up.

Lync recovered and smooth out the loose strands of his long dark hair. A deep frown glued to his face. He wasn't breathing hard. He wasn't hunched over. He wasn't visibly angry... which terrified me even more.

"Echo," he calmly said. "Return to Hondo Ohnaka's headquarters."

"S-sir?" I breathed nervously.

"You heard me. Do it."

Reluctantly, I followed the order. Fern jumped to her feet and hurried off to her quarters. Hiro returned to the cockpit with an ugly bruise on his forehead and an angry scowl. Xion's firey curls had come loose and fell around her shoulders, her green eyes widened with anxiety. It was completely silent all the way back to Hondo's. As I landed, the pirate lord and about a hundred of men gathered outside.

"Sir," Xion spoke first. "Unfortunate as it is, we cannot take on this many pirates without reinforcements. I recommend we do not engage violently."

"Not to worry, Cadet." Lync straightened his posture. "Violence will be used towards them. Call Fern and tell her to bring the padawan. Everyone else, get off the ship." He may had a calm demeanor, but his smooth voice was full of menacing threats.

I wasn't Force-sensitive...but I got a really horrible feeling about what was coming...